Live Blog | US justice suspects banks backing oligarchs Related articles

Russia trains in Belarus for practical and political reasons

09:00 | The British Defense Ministry has released its daily intelligence report on Ukraine, suggesting that Russia has been training troops in Belarus for both practical and political reasons. Writes:

As of mid-March 2023, Russia is likely to have redeployed at least 1,000 servicemen who had trained at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in southwestern Belarus.

While a new troop rotation has not been established, Russia has most likely left the tent city, suggesting that it is considering continuing the training program.

The fact that Russia has resorted to training its own personnel under the much less experienced Belarusian military demonstrates how Russia’s “special military operation” has seriously damaged the Russian military’s training system – the instructors are largely displaced in Ukraine.

Russia probably also sees Belarus’ continued indirect support for the operation as an important political signal.’

US justice suspects banks backing oligarchs

07:10 | The US Department of Justice is investigating Credit Suisse AG and UBS Group AG, the department suspects the banks of helping Russian oligarchs evade sanctions. This is reported by Bloomberg News.

The ministry has also sent subpoenas to employees of some major US banks, the Bloomberg report said, adding that Swiss banks were included in a series of subpoenas filed before UBS’s acquisition of Credit Suisse.

The investigations should reveal which bank employees have had dealings with sanctioned customers and how those customers have been vetted in recent years, Bloomberg said.

The bankers could then be further investigated to determine whether they broke any laws, the report said.